The Flames are in San Jose taking on the Sharks tonight, but the opponent is all but immaterial. Calgary's not making the playoffs, so their competitiveness and the quality of their foes is more or less irrelevant for the duration.

That said, there are still reasons to care about outcomes and watch the scoreboard. First, of course, is the race to the bottom. There are currently 3 horses battling for 30th overall: the Flames, the Avalanche and the Panthers. Calgary is tied with Florida at 30 points, but has two games in hand. The Avalanche are bottom of the league with 28 points and have played one more game than Calgary. The only other clubs within hailing distance of the top-3 lottery are Buffalo and Tampa Bay, each with 34 points so far.

Of the dive for five combatants, only Calgary and Buffalo sold hard at the deadline. The Sabres shed Jason Pominville and Robyn Regehr while the Flames, of course, nixed Iginla, Bouwmeester, Comeau and, for all intents and purposes, Kiprusoff. Of the teams hoping to choose first overal, Calgary might be the worst (certainly the most gutted) which improves their chances of picking in the top-3 for the first time franchise history this coming June.

In addition, Flames fans should also be cheering for the St. Louis Blues, who currently hold down the 8th seed in the West. Calgary's 2013 first rounder from the Bouwmeester deal is conditional on the Blues making the dance and having three bullets in what is roundly considered one of the best drafts in recent memory is a really good way to start out the new era. St. Louis beat the Blackhawks last night while the Oilers fell to Vancouver, increasing the Blues' playoff odds favorably to about 83%.

Losing to the Sharks this evening helps the Flames cause #1 (which is frankly more important) but only marginally hinders cause #2 (San Jose is already 4 points clear of the Blues). For from a strictly pragmatic point of view, then, losing is optimal this evening.

The Line-up

Suffering a road record 12th (I think?) straight defeat shouldn't be too much of a challenge. The team is mediocre on paper to begin with and the skaters have collectively played like some strangled their puppy before their eyes the last few days. In addition, the dreadful goaltending that has submarined the Flames season continues unabated.

Glencross - Stajan - Stempniak

Horak - Cammalleri - Tanguay

Cervenka - Backlund - Hudler

Jackman - Begin - McGrattan

Brodie - Wideman

Sarich - Butler

Babchuk - Carson

Kiprusoff

On top of all that, Mark Giordano is out of the line-up celebrating the birth of his first child, meaning the number of capable NHLers on the Flames blueline gets whittled down to about two.

The Stajan line had an okay game despite the score vs Edmonton and the Flames surprising 4th unit with checkers and ruffians has been the only one to really outplay the opponent consistently the last week or so. You can tell the shifting gears of the organization and club hasn't really altered their lives or focus on the ice - they keep plugging away in the same fashion as always. Kudos to them all.

The Opponent

It's the Sharks. They have Thornton and Pavelski and Marleau and Boyle and Burns and...well you get the idea. They're a much better team than the Flames are currently. If they don't win tonight they should be ashamed.

Sum It up

The season is over. What's left on the ice is this evening perfunctory. Keep your eyes on the out of town scorebaord, though.

So, I had a thought that made me feel uncomfortable but I am going to share it.

I don't like the idea of Glencross as a Captain (those bad penalties and streaky), and Gio is not the same as he was last year (huge step backwards? why?) - but Stajan has seen a resurgence since getting his confidence back.

What about Stajan for Captain? Matty Franchise? Is he the best option right now? He was the one who has been the most outspoken and seems the most disappointed in their current play.

If so, what does that say about our team for the next little while? And who will be expected to mentor the young guys?

Our scouts in Europe identified him as someone who could slot into our top six forward group and play in the NHL as a top two line centre. John Weisbrod went to see him play early in the KHL Playoffs and came away confirming everything we had heard from our scouts in Europe.

Swing and a miss?

I think Cervenka will have a better year next season, but it won't be here. Which I think may be unfortunate.

So, I had a thought that made me feel uncomfortable but I am going to share it.

I don't like the idea of Glencross as a Captain (those bad penalties and streaky), and Gio is not the same as he was last year (huge step backwards? why?) - but Stajan has seen a resurgence since getting his confidence back.

What about Stajan for Captain? Matty Franchise? Is he the best option right now? He was the one who has been the most outspoken and seems the most disappointed in their current play.

If so, what does that say about our team for the next little while? And who will be expected to mentor the young guys?

I'm not going to laugh quite as loudly as Kent did, but there is no way that Stajan will be or should be captain of this team.

Yes he has had a much better season, but it's still just a ... No.

It will be Gio or Glencross and personally I'm all for GlenX wearing the "C".

The dude is passionate and intense. He hates to lose like no one else and even though he take dumb penalties, wearing the "C" will force him to mature in that area.

He is also a great example of what you want from the kids that are going to be coming up.

Love Glencross. Gets more done with grit guts than most guys do with sheer talent. That isn't to say he's untalented, I just admire his work ethic. Liked him as a Blue Jacket, reluctantly admired him as an Oiler, was ecstatic when Sutter signed him away. I thought he'd be a good 3rd line spark plug who'd get 10 goals a season. Fortunately he's blow my expectations out of the water.

Yeah agreed the Sharks have another gear that I'm sure we will see in the 3rd as per usual when we play them in their barn.

Babchuck riding the pine sure helps too.

I almost wish Babchuk received the Kotalik treatment just to get him out of town. Thank god he's UFA this summer. Let him go back to the KHL so he can underwhelm them with his heavy slap shot and completely and utter lack of hockey sense.

Every time I watch him play I just can't believe how bad he really is. There is nothing to like about the guy as a player. Big shot be damned. What a life for him the last couple of years flying around for 5 million dollars doing nothing useful.

Every time I watch him play I just can't believe how bad he really is. There is nothing to like about the guy as a player. Big shot be damned. What a life for him the last couple of years flying around for 5 million dollars doing nothing useful.

I was hoping against hope his big ass would stay in the Ukraine after the lockout. He's huge and doesn't use his size effecitvely; which just makes him even more infuriating to watch.

I am all for finishing the season in the basement and grabbing an exciting pick. However, I want one more win - tomorrow night. I am normally a kind man, but I have a deep and unhealthy hatred for the Canucks. I even became a Bruins fan one June not that long ago. Please dig deep and pull out one win tomorrow night. That's all I ask. I won't be able to bear a loss to THEM.

I don`t have a problem with the Nucks anymore. And in fact will cheer for them, along with every other Canadian team in the playoffs. They don`t dive or complain anywhere near what they used to a couple of seasons ago. Plus,I really like Kassian and Garrisson (although the latter has had a bit of a rough year). They both bring some Canadian grit that was sorely needed on that team.

Now, when Kesler comes back all bets may be off, as the whine factor will definitely skyrocket.

I don`t have a problem with the Nucks anymore. And in fact will cheer for them, along with every other Canadian team in the playoffs. They don`t dive or complain anywhere near what they used to a couple of seasons ago. Plus,I really like Kassian and Garrisson (although the latter has had a bit of a rough year). They both bring some Canadian grit that was sorely needed on that team.

Now, when Kesler comes back all bets may be off, as the whine factor will definitely skyrocket.

Strangely, and I never would have believed it, and I just came to the realization as I read your post, but I agree!

For a guy who claims to not support tanking your articles sure seems to suggest otherwise. "The flames have way too much pride to ever tank like Oilers." Funny how now the shoe is on the other foot you losers want that #1 pick just as bad as we did.